Whether you've been letting your home improvement to-do list get the best of you, or are finding yourself comparing your real-world home to professionally styled and photographed ones, it's natural to get a little down on your home from time to time. Luckily, feeling content at home is something available to everyone, no matter the size or condition of your space. By working your way through these nine suggestions, you can gain a deeper appreciation of your house, just as it is today.

1. Consider what first drew you to your home. No matter where you live, there was likely something that attracted you to your house when you first saw it. Was it the sunny yard, charming porch, original wood floors? Once you are living in a place, it's natural to focus more on home improvements, but taking a moment to recall your favorite things about your home can put things in perspective.

2. Use your senses. If you're getting down on your house, it can be hard to find anything to appreciate — but using your senses, you can zero in on the pleasures of home. Take a quick sensory tour of your home and note anything positive: the cozy comfort of your couch, the smell of coffee brewing, the feel of a fluffy rug between your toes.

3. Contrast it with not-home. Imagine you've just been on a long trip, and you are arriving home for the first time in weeks. You close the door behind you and take a deep breath. What are you most looking forward to about being home in that moment? Think about the ways your home comforts and supports you.

4. Think beyond the visible. Is your rent or mortgage affordable, allowing you to live within your means? Is your home near your best friend's house, a lovely park or your favorite café? Is it quiet? Are your neighbors nice? There are many factors that you may not see when you look around but that are just as (or more) important than the space itself.

5. Consider what visitors like about your home. When friends come over, do they comment on how welcoming and relaxing your house is? Is it great for parties, intimate chats, or barbecues on the lawn? Pay attention to what others have to say about your space.

6. Look at the living things. Be sure to count the people and furry friends you share your home with among your blessings. Does the light in your home make it easy to grow that windowsill herb garden? Does owning your own home or having an accommodating landlord make it possible to share your space with furry friends? Do your kids love jumping on that squashy old couch?

7. Look out your windows. Do you have a view of your private garden, a bustling city street, a beautiful tree? Do you have a favorite spot where you like to sit and daydream, simply gazing at the clouds outside?

8. Look on the bright side. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective to turn what could be a negative into something good. A small space may feel cramped, but it also uses fewer resources, so it's naturally greening your lifestyle.

Sharing a home with extended family may be trying at times, but it's undoubtedly providing memories you will cherish for many years. If something has been irking you, try to think of an upside.

9. Consider what your home allows you to do. Whether you love to cook, entertain, read, watch movies or play with your kids, focusing on the activities you enjoy at home can help take the focus away from that never-ending list of improvements. In fact, using your home more is one wonderfully simple way to appreciate what it has to offer.

Keep it up: If the suggestions in this ideabook have inspired you to look at your home in a new way, consider collecting your thoughts in a gratitude journal. I also encourage you to pay attention to precisely what makes you feel grateful at home — and do more of it! It's only natural as you are digging in the garden, kneading bread dough or reading a story to a child that you will begin to feel more content with things as they are.

This is wonderful article for we Americans, because so many of us are never satisfied with our lives in so many areas - our homes are never up to our specifications, our bodies are never perfect enough, our kids are never ambitious enough and on and on. We need to be more satisfied not only with our homes, but our families and our lives in general. Our media drills it into us that nothing in our lives is good enough - you have to work to make it better. This is very destructive.

Thanks, Laura, for including our design in your article. That was a very small space to configure, and using a small table with a drop-down leaf just made sense. It allowed us to create a dining space for two (or more, once both leaves are open and the table is pulled out from the wall) where -- at first -- it didn't seem there would be enough room.

Very nice article. Sometimes when we look at all the possibilities on Houzz it gives you the 'wants'. 'I want this' , 'I want that'. How important it is to look at what you already have. How many houses have we seen in Design Dilemma where we thought it was so beautiful just as it is? Often all a house needs is for the homeowner to add their own personal touches. When I design a garden for my clients I often tell them that the garden should tell us something about the owner. I encourage them to think of gardens that they remember from their past ~ their parents or grandparents garden. Houses and gardens should have part of our past present and future woven into the design. Grandmothers dishes, dad's garden gnome, mother's wind chimes. These are what makes a house a home.

I sell vintage and antique dinnerware online and there are many who want to keep heirlooms that have been passed down or to start a new collection from flea market finds. It's really hard to find a true style with all the varieties available.

Nail on head.
I love my house/home in Belgium, but we're about to move abroad to Ireland. Our new home is situated right by a sea inlet. I am not in love with the house yet, but that will come as soon as we have all our own furniture and the sentimental stuff that surrounds us daily moved in there.
At the moment it is very grey, beige, black and chrome and shiny surfaces as the previous owners loved 'glamour style' - they left their furniture behind. For the first time ever I'm having a hard time imagining our eclectic style in this new place.
The views from the house are stunning. A large plot of land and the cottage style new build is lovely from the outside. I WILL make it work.
We've just arrived back in Belgium after a week stay in the cottage in Ireland and when I opened the livingroom door I gasped at the serenity and beauty of our own interior style. I really don't want to boast about my impeccable taste - haha - but it's just the feeling of what exactly makes a house into a home. It's the personal stuff, isn't it ? The stuff that has lived with you for decades and moved house with you umpteen times.

Ach ! I'd better get on with packing as in two months time the move is planned to happen and there is no turning back !

As a member of the Church of the Perpetual Remodel, your article was much appreciated. In a consumer culture, your emphasis that a house and its accoutrements are a means, not the end, to having a home.

In the past few decades people have had a more is more attitude. One must have more than the Jones' next door. Since the recession people are starting to see the value in downsizing. Many lost their homes and others were forced to sell and buy a smaller home to survive the damage done by the recession. I love this article because it explains clearly how to appreciate where you are and what you have in a sensory way. Thanks so much. This is such a timely article and much appreciated.

Very nice perspective--as one who DID have to "downsize" from a large farmhouse to a small pre-built house that we planned on fixing up and selling--due to the economics of our lives and the industry my husband was working in at the time going belly-up---I do find it hard to "Love the house you're with"!

After 23 years we are unbelievably still in the "Tiny House". And kids grew up and moved out--and several of them moved right back IN again! One brought a husband and a baby and then had ANOTHER one! We now number 7 people in a house that barely held 5 when kids were small.

Well we do NOT have a mortgage--where all that money I was going to be SAVING goes to I dunno---well I lie! Taxes have skyrocketed; gas is killing us. we don't heat with cheap wood anymore do to health issues so we are paying a huge price we never thought about for kerosene-and of course there was tuition for those kids! -BUT we do have an AMAZING view. Which I HOPE will be one of the SELLING points of the house!

Moving SOUTH is very high on my bucket list and we will be doing this in the next FEW years. Already shopping for a new place to LOVE. Because whatever we buy this time--we have vowed to LOVE IT. No buying a place just because it is cheap and we need a roof! IN the area we are in housing is getting more and more expensive and the amount of open real estate is less than the rest of the country---we are extremely lucky that we were not hit as hard as some of the states in the foreclosure crisis. So selling should be no problem!

Open to suggestions on WHERE to move--Florida and Texas are out of the running. We have gone and looked at NC; Tenn; Kentucky; West Virginia--and are looking into going to see Missouri (I have been and I loved it; husband has not been yet)
Mixed views all around on these!

I love my tiny Cape Cod style house but often get bogged down by the 9x9 ft rooms and deep pitched ceiling in the upstairs bedroom. When I browse through Houzz or magazines, I wish I had purchased a lighter colored bedroom set and moan because the little back beddroom/office/TV room can't be accessed to deliver a big comfy sofabed. And I wish I had another bathroom. So, thanks for the reminder to think of the positive. If I never changed another thing, I love my little house more than anything!

This is a lovely spiritual article on learning acceptance being grateful for what you have. 20 yrs. ago we chose this house because of its country atmosphere (decoration) and location (walking distance to town). We love the privacy (right on a main road). Since buying the house, a sidewalk has been added. From this location, I enjoy that I can take a peaceful walk to the center for the library, coffee with friends, or just plain relaxation. I can walk the baby to the farm to see the new-born cows and chickens or to have an ice cream. This year one of my children bought the house and we added a small in-law. I have everything I need--a full kitchen, a sunny living room, a nice bedroom and bathroom, all on one level. I do still need to reduce though. Right now it is snowing and I am watching the birds. About 30 have flow into a tree--must be some kind of union or HOA meeting going on.

Great article and so true. Even as a decorator, I try to use what people have to make their spaces great. No matter the budget, you can learn to love your home! Wonderful tips here on how to do just that. M.

By today's American standards, we live in a small home (1800 sq, feet), but when we came back from a trip to Europe during which we stayed in other people's homes, we realized our house is quite large! We all need to quit comparing ourselves to the super wealthy because most of us already live better than the majority of the people on the planet.

Thank you for this refreshing article. Home is a reflection of ourselves. If we always need bigger, better, more, perhaps we have lots sight of what really creates "the good life."
Sometimes a few nights away, is all one needs to appreciate being home, wherever one lives.

Numerous times I have walked into my house, turn to my husband and say "I love my house" His response, "I hope so" People have walked into my house and say "It feels peaceful in here" This is a home filled with furniture and colour. I sometimes don't want to go out when invited because I love being in my house.

Last November I purchased a home for me and my 2 children our first home as a single parent. The house is of an unknown age, I am pretty sure it's 100+ years old that is for sure.
It's a bit of a fixer upper but with a full time job and 2 full time kids the decorating is taking forever! Yes that can make me a bit down but every time I come home from work or perhaps shopping I am driving up to the house and thing wow I love it ......that is my home!!!

I'm reading this as my husband is cutting yet another hole in the floor (redoing electrical and putting in floor outlets). Even when the house is in disarray from holes for electrical I love the house. The woodwork, old house charm, I've even gotten used to my 30" high original counters. It is home and we love it. Thank you for this article to put things into perspective. Sometimes it feels like we are constantly working on it and not enjoying it. This year we vow to take more time to take breaks. :)

Come to Louisville, Ky if you like 4 equal seasons, friendly, cultured folk, and good food. We are in days drive of 75% of country east of Mississippi river. Just no beach, but lots of lakes. I am a realtor here, let me know if I can help. echristian@semonin.com,

I love to look at the photos on houzz.. And I also like to look at the photos on my favorite home exchange website. This is where you see photos of common homes that real people live in. Of course, The photos have been taken when the homes are polished to their best, But they still represent a real lifestyle for so many people. Keep in mind that people who can afford home exchange, flying across continents, taking long vacations, etc. do tend to have a higher income than many middle-class families, even when they are restricted and choose the cost savings of a home exchange.

The article about contentment was absolutely wonderful. I appreciate the author for setting forth so many Great and practical action points to move into a spirit of gratitude.

Perfect sentiment. I was hoping that this might be the year to do some remodeling, but have had to accept that other expenses take priority. I love my small house for all the reasons you mentioned and it's nice to be reminded to stop and feel gratitude when something else is out of reach. Meanwhile, I'm collecting ideas for the future in my Houzz Idea Books. There are always small improvements we can make with ingenuity and our own two hands.

Great article. I was so pleased to find it. I've always known that I am not alone in my contentment of my home and my possessions that are so special to me. It seems a very artificial world that we are living in......mine is very real, with a home designed for a couple and now a huge family has taken it over.....and we make the best of it. I am very fortunate in many ways.......houzz has improved it. What fun I am having.

I agree with point 5, especially, After receiving numerous compliments on my home when hosting a bridal shower, I started looking around with new eyes. It is so easy to focus on what what I would like to update, redecorate, repair, organize that I become blind to our abundance. Deliberately trying to see my surroundings through new eyes and refocusing on what I'm grateful for in my home and life in general has brought a great sense of contentment and gratitude for what I have. Would I still like to a bit more square footage or a kitchen remodel? Sure. If it's meant to be at some point, I wouldn't object. :-) But those compliments opened my eyes to how blessed I really am.

This is a wonderful article. You are right - those furry family members, my big comfy chair, plus my gorgeous view from the side of a mountain make up for many things I don't especially like about my house.

So many people trying to move from their huge, expensive "Mc-Houses" these days, and find a home. "A house--does not--a home make." It's the life inside that makes it a home...one that should be a warm haven from the world--a place where comfort, encouragement, and understanding live--and memories are made and preserved. It's a feeling of love not a design!
Must be practiced and created in our hearts, not our hearths.

I have been a builder for over 20 years and occasionally feel like I shouldn't take on a job to change something because it is perfectly fine. This article does a great job emphasizing how we can appreciate what we have got.

Thank you for this article. It truly is important to have gratitude for what you have, something that is hard to do in a society that values more and bigger stuff. Sometimes I hate my small NYC apartment, with its ugly view of brick buildings, but then I remember I have a great view of the Empire State Building, or rather, it's reflection in the window of an adjacent building. It puts a smile on my face. Tonight it is lit up in red, white and blue!

I have recently purchased a fixer-upper in a beach area of SW Ct I live 4 miles away and every time I can I mention to friends how I would like to haul my present house to that plot, I love my house, but I hate the location, big traffic, main road, lots of trucks, the train ugh. But I can't forget when I HAD to buy this foreclosure because I was living in a real nightmare, and I would come peek through the windows everyday, like a child, and my first day as owner in the one chair dreaming where my beautiful "stuff " was going to be, I felt I was the luckiest person in the world. And i was.

I agree with many who thank here for the article, I have been in many places and I know that we, in the 1st world live unimaginably better than too many, but many are content sharing a glass of wine on their table.

While it is good to look for inspiration in the designs of the pictured homes, is like any art, beautiful in its own. but I could not imagine someone choosing my sofas and curtains for me and wallpapering my walls in pink and green herringbone.

The fixer upper is coming along, and I'll start all over again with the garden, I'll be moving in and making it My Home, on my budget. Wish me luck!

I agree with swasting and tupper69..I recently bought a "gift" very small condo townhouse that only permits me to make the mortgage payments. It came somewhat furnished -1980's light pink walls kitchen and livingroom, low stucco ceiling and dark stain 80's copy of coloniel or country type triple dining room 2hutches and round table with 4 armed chairs. Sounds and is drab BBut can you imagine that this is a gift who would have thought I would have my own roof, garden and car port..I am constantly checking Houzz and other decor sites and magazines as well all the possible free items people are recycling..This gift is a adventure in creativity.

Excellent article. It is hard to get over "the grass is greener" feeling when looking at the photos of very high end homes....but there is something to be said for being thankful for what we have. ....warmth, comfort, coziness, safety.....if we have all this, plus beauty....we have much to be thankful for!

I recently bought a 40 year old home that appears to have most of its original design decor. Rarely does a friend walk into my home and not begin to make "suggestions" about how I should update the space. I have fallen in love with my home, just the way it is. It's really funny to see the look on my friend's faces when I tell them that I do not "plan" to change a thing, ha.

Thank you for reminding me of what attracted us to our home in the first place. Cozy cottage for empty nesters! I had found myself browsing houses for sale until I ran upon this article. Now I feel very grateful for what we have. Not perfect but can be.......

Instead of spending money on remodeling/redecorating/expanding your house, it's very rewarding to go room by room and clear it out, then scrub it clean! Getting rid of clutter--papers, knick knacks, unused furniture--and then cleaning floors, windows, furniture, rugs, etc. and perhaps just rearranging everything will make it feel new again!

Now when I trudge up the three flights of stairs to my apartment, hauling groceries and whatnot, I think "amazing views and one block to my daughter's school." Now when the enormous windows let drafts in, I think "abundant natural light." Thank you for reminding us to focus on the positive!

I am enjoying the comments. This article has helped people look at their homes from a completely different view. Elena, apparently not only do you have a view and it is near your daughter but it sounds like there is another positive--you also get your daily exercise for free.

We are currently reviving a 140-year-old home. The original house had a Craftsman-style stone walled front porch added on sometime in the 1920's and another homeowner in the 1950's closed the porch up with windows.
On close look the Craftsman pillars were terribly rotted out and the structural integrity of the porch was compromised.
Now as we are finishing up the remodel, with exterior painting coming up and beginning landscaping tomorrow(!) the porch is now nicely opened up, it is structurally sound and the Craftsman style was maintained.
We are looking forward to spending many hours on the newly opened up porch starting this Spring and in the years to come. (I hope the photos attached are in order!)

Perfect reminder of what makes our homes, home. As a creative designer, I always have more fantastical ideas than can be executed. Our home is smallish, old and always something needs repair, but our front door is constantly opening to more family and friends than we ever thought would enter. They all say it is happy, warm and welcoming. I guess I will take that as the best result/compliment ever, of being a home owner.

This was wonderful to read. Due to my husband job, in the 16 years we've been married we have moved 3 times. we've been in our house now for 6 1/2 years and get the moving bug every now and then. BUT we keep coming back to "this is the perfect house on the best lot in the best neighborhood in a great town! We are happy here and your article reinforced that! Thanks!

We received a housewarming gift, after four years of a tear-down, re-build. A simple framed saying::
"A home is built with peace and love, and not of wood or stone, a place where happiness lives and memories are sown." (author unknown)
Helped us to put the experience in perspective!

Great article! I totally agree, it is hard to make a house into a comfortable home. I have moved around so much in the past few years. Whenever I want to get comfortable in a new city, I start with the bed. I get my favorite pillow, my vintage bed stand, and my favorite sheets ( from https://www.thomasleeltd.com/ ), and I am set. House=home

Great article. Although I'm not thrilled with my home because of repairs to be done and the aesthetic that I like, the biggest issue is that when I improve one thing, ten more come to light and it can get frustrating and $$$. My home is a four level split contemporary built in 1971.

What a refreshing article. One of the most beautiful homes I visited is a tiny 2 bedroom with a pull out sofa in the living room. Owners are most loving, giving people. They do not apologize for their modest home but just keep giving & sharing with others. They are happy & content.

Ohhh I want a way to put pieces of articles into my Ideabooks! I love this one, when thinking about how to decorate in a home: "Contrast it with not-home. Imagine you've just been on a long trip, and you are arriving home for the first time in weeks. You close the door behind you and take a deep breath. What are you most looking forward to about being home in that moment? Think about the ways your home comforts and supports you." Thanks, Laura Gaskill! :)

FINALLY.....an article that teaches (or reminds) us to be thankful and grateful for what we have. America is the land of plenty...whether it's a tent in the woods or a large house, we're surrounded by beauty everyday. We are so blessed by God!! Thank you for sharing this most important article with all of us.

After 4 1/2 years of remodeling, I *really* love the home we've built, and I loved it before we even bought it too "this could be the cutest house in the neighbourhood if someone just fixed it up". Our bathroom is the talk of the neighbourhood, the garden is now amazing with 14 different fruit trees, the location is perfect and allows us a great lifestyle, and since we bought at the bottom of the market and renovated, we've practically doubled our money if we wanted to sell. Every day I am thankful, and this was a great article to remind all of us. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this article. I love my home. Yes, there is so much work to be done but I love to hear my kids playing outside, talking to each other as they do the dishes, hear them in their rooms playing instruments or listening to music and hear my dog throughout the house. It has been such a wonderful place for my husband and I to raise our three children. And now as we only have a few more months till the older two graduate and move on; it really hits me how happy we have been here. Truly grateful.

@Patricia Pelgrims I just know you will make your new home in Ireland a place you love. Such an adventure. Best of luck and I hope some time I find another comment by you telling everyone how much fun you are having in your new home!

This was a wonderful article and so appropriate for your readers in the U.S., right before our Holiday of Thanksgiving.

lol jshanes your ending comment is just what I wanted to write! Ms. Laura Happy Thanksgiving! Ive been blessed with a beautiful home w/my beautiful family who share, laugh, cry and all other emotions you can think of w/me and I wouldn't trade it for anything! btw Im an Antique Mall Owner so my house is not just a house its a home as I tell my Customers an antique/collectible purchase makes a house your home :)

Oh wow ! Thanks @jshanes ! I couldn't even remember writing the comment here. So much time has passed since then.
In that time we have indeed moved and have been living here since April 16th, 2013. Adventurous is the right word.
We're just about to finish our newly built extension on the house with the kitchen of my dreams also nearly ready.
In the photos a few glimpses of the place before and after.
Photo 1 & 2 guestroom before and after we moved in.
Photo 3 & 4 previous kitchen and new kitchen in the process of finishing

Happy Thanksgiving by the way !
Yes we are thankful too. We have a good life with 9 chickens for eggs, pigs, 2 dogs and 3 cats atm.
We are kinda exhausted though, but hopefully all the work we've done will soon be forgotten and we'll be able to start enjoying the 'quieter' things in life.

Tonight reminded me to slow down. I made meatloaf, steamed veggies and mashed potatoes then invited a few friends over and lit some candles. We told jokes, laughed and enjoyed one another's company. The cat begged for food and he got plenty of attention but it was just a simple get together. Good food, good friends, and good laughs. That's what makes the house a home.

What a timely article! Thank you so much. We downsized to a townhouse that is 40 years old. It needs work, but I'm learning to love it and feel the comfort it exudes. We have a wonderfully affordable mortgage and plan on doing "what we can, when we can." We have a wonderful beehive fireplace and though the kitchen dining area is small, we're learning to adjust and become more minimalist in our lifestyle. I am taking you up on the suggestion and am going to start a "gratitude journal"! This was a perfect article, one I didn't walk away from saying, "Wow, I can't afford that!"

Great article! I love my home. Every time I come up the front walk I smile. There's always something that needs to be repaired but that's part of homeownership. And the DYI projects -- like replacing grass with garden is part of the fun.

Thank you for this, so much! Also, you can increase the value of your home while enhancing the aesthetic. As you make plans for your new fence, keep the following factors in mind. See below link.
http://blog.lahabrafence.com/add-curb-appeal-fence-asset-home/

Laura, thank you so much for this timely article! My husband and I just sold our big house in order to save money and downsize. We moved into our other property which has been a rental and needs lots of work. Right now it is very disheartening to think of our perfectly redone and staged home for sale, while squeezing into a mess of a house...but, we have our cozy bed with our pups lying on top of us, we have our health and in time, we will make this a home.

Thank you for a timely article with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Too often people think that they need to have the newest, best, the biggest and the brightest when what they have right now is all that is really needed.

This is a wonderful article and something I've been knocking myself for. The home that just isn't getting done. My home is a beautiful American Foursquare in Texas and I am so very thankful to have it!

This is so interesting to me to read - I can see, if I look, all the things that still need to be done in my house - not necessarily tearing out and rebuilding (yes, I have a couple more big projects up my sleeve, but it's not an "I wish" situation, just "that's up first thing in spring" - they'll take far more labor than cash). But I love my house immoderately. I am unreasonably delighted at the success of the (very affordable) kitchen I built myself (though I can see its shortcomings and the little tweaks it still needs); I have to remind myself to keep up a conversation because I am interiorly celebrating that the little table and stools I (built and) added to the kitchen are used automatically by everyone who walks in; as I lay down to sleep I think I must have the comfiest bed in the world and I'm so pleased I spent time hunting down and building just the right things for it, and for so many other little spots in my house. I could describe to you what my next house will look like, and I understand we'll have to leave this one (the first we have bought) when our jobs and lives require, but there's not a day that goes by when I am not immensely grateful for it. I feel ridiculously lucky, not only in view of the fact that so many suffer so much and have so little, but simply because something beautiful that I love is mine.

When I start to feel sorry for myself, and the fact that I don't live in a huge home with tons of money I remember what my ancestors went through helping to settle the west, and realize how great I have it. All my ancestors were Mormon pioneers, and were among the first to settle the Salt Lake Valley. One great aunt spent the winter in a covered wagon, and dug in the snow for weeds to supplement her quarter pound of flour food allotment. Others pulled handcarts 1,300 miles across the plains and mountains to get to Salt Lake City sleeping on the ground in tents in all sorts of weather. Compared to that, I live in a mansion.

Years ago our elderly dog ran away when we moved to a new town. Days later, a very kind family who lived in the woods 17 miles away(!) found him collapsed in their yard. They carried him into their home, gave him some food & water, and called us. When we arrived at their small, modest home, we found him resting peacefully in front of the fireplace. Many would think their home too small and dated but I remember thinking that these good people understood the true essence of home and comfort. And yes, the 13 year old dog lived happily another 2 years.

Thank you and happy Thanksgiving. My little 1947 house has just as along a 'what is great about it list' as a 'to do' list. That is what keeps me grateful even though I don't have the money to make my fantasy improvements.

What a wonderful and thoughtful article to include on Houzz. I'd like to mention one of your other contributors from Belgium who was moving to Ireland, leaving her much loved home in Belgium. I have no doubt she will have her home in Ireland just the way she likes it by now and I wish her every happiness in it and a wonderful experience whilst living in Ireland, which is where I live! Most particularly I envy her the fact that her new Irish house is beside a sea inlet. When I win the lottery I want to live in a home by the sea where I can look at it from as many rooms as possible and then the interior design of the house will become secondary!

Great article! I would like to add two additional ways to appreciate your home. Put your money into a vacation. We travel for two or three months every summer and when we get home, I see my home with fresh eyes and it feels so wonderful. Secondly, I find that when my house if feeling tired, I clean from top to bottom and it feels so fresh that I love it. Just having the windows cleaned makes the house sparkle.

Lovely! Just the thing to read on the morning of Thanksgiving. The questions you suggest feel spiritual to me, and indeed, my attachment to my house feels spiritual-- from my floor to ceiling bookshelves (the first thing I added when I moved in 8 years ago) to my flower gardens, visible from every sunny window. I will ask myself one of these questions every time I wish my tiny kitchen were bigger!
One Thanksgiving tradition my daughter and I have is to put black paper on the refrigerator with gold, silver, and white paint pens, and we write things (and people) we are thankful for.
Our guests are invited to add their thoughts as well. We have kept each year's gratitude list.

When I go to bed at night, I remind myself of how fortunate and grateful I am to have a home with a roof over my head, a comfortable bed, light, and heat, things that so many do not have. This helps me drop my "to-do" list and my focus on dissatisfaction with decor, design, or anything else! Happy Thanksgiving to all and Laura, thank you for your great articles and pictorials.

What a timely article. I have just come to the fact that I love how and what I have with regard to my home. My problem has been that I love a lot of different styles: traditional, contemporary, Southwest, nautical and so it goes on. Having said that, my home is semi-traditional but on the minimalist line; just artwork ( I am a painter) and plants, neutral colors. My bedroom has whitewashed laminate floor and the bedroom is grey and white and I love it. Living room is creams and beige. The artwork and the green plants give it a pop of color. There are some really great ideas on Houzz and if we every build another house I would certainly incorporate some of those wonderful ideas. However, I am content with my house...just as it is. Thank you for this article.

So true of me when I think of all the work I would like to do to fix up my home. Then there are days when I walk through my living room and dining room with the sun pouring in and the chestnut woodwork gleaming and my small 1400 sq ft home makes me feel good.

Well needed article. We need to appreciate what we have. I frequently become overwhelmed with my laundry list of home improvements. I bought a older home and sometimes have regrets. Too much HGTV and all those beautiful homes on Houzz takes me into another world, most often unreachable and wanting more. I'm grateful, grateful my house is a home.

There will always be things that need to be done, but your house is your home no matter what the list says, no matter how big or small it is, and no matter whether it is new or old. I asked my 8 y.o. daughter to write a list of things for which she is greatful to share at our Thanksgiving dinner table. It has so warmed my heart (and not just because it is about me, but it speaks to what makes a house a home -- love):

I'm thankfull for my mom because she's responsible for me and takes care of me well ana I'm thankfull for my mom the most of all in the hole wide world She is also the sweetes honeydo in the world. sinsearly, Sara

I've realized that large bedrooms are really a waste of space. Yes, you need enough room so that you can walk around & get dressed comfortably--but do you really need a "sitting/reading area," etc? Kids may need space to play or study within their own room. But I'd rather my extra space be utilized in the true living areas of the house.

We got back from a long trip this fall and I walked into my house and it brought me such delight! It was late so I couldn't see outside but the next day I took these pics. So happy to be home. :) (Even if the kitchen still needs a bit of work.)

@Charlotte-- isn't it amazing how different things appeal to each of us? This is exactly how I feel about having a living room. My husband and I spends most of our time in the sitting area of our large bedroom.
We only use the living areas when we have the occasional guests.

@halleycomet We've been through similar times as you. I still miss our 900sq. ft. house at the beach, even though this home is 3 times the size but a tract house. We can't afford it either, so are in the same boat as you trying to figure out where to move that isn't so expensive as coastal CaliforniaSo many people have mentioned NC and TN. I'd love to have 4 seasons but can't take humidity or heat. Snow is fine. I do love my house...especially the view and now retired there are days I never want to leave it..just go outside when the weather is cool enough for a walk.Sometimes REALITY gets in the way of loving where you. When you have to leave a place you love, it is difficult to change attitudes about your new surroundings. But I must be like Corrie ten boom (?) in WWII concentration camp and find blessings in all circumstances..

I was raised by a grandmother born in 1904, whose favorite books were the Pollyanna series (most of which are for adults). Forget the Disney movie, which is way too goody goody. My grandmother truly lived her life by the Glad Game (no matter what happens, one can find something to be glad about.) I am nowhere near as successful playing as she was, but it truly helps to try. This article is full of truth and the Glad Game.

I love Houzz and the beautifully styled and designed rooms. I am glad I don't have to try to keep my house that way all the time, which is making a virtue of necessity!

I was feeling the "wants" the other day, because I'm an Houzz/HGTV addict. Thank you for reminding me to be greatful for what I have. I have a nice home and have been able to do some updates and it is nice when your son says, "mom everything looks real nice." I love that you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it look nice. Here's a funny for you. The guy who put in my floors saw us at homedepot and said, "Jim she got you on another project already! LOL

So you DO understand me! We are living in a rental home, for the first time in 40 years, since the market here encourages multiple offers well over asking, and in excess of 1 million dollars for a small family cottage. I get crazy ideas about fixing up our rental, but I know that its all for naught!

We live in a house built in 1920. So naturally a lot of our money goes on maintenance. For instance, I am expecting a expense on repairing the eaves and guttering as the wood is rotting. This is to be expected as it is a old house and you never know what you are getting into. But the one thing I allow myself is after every maintenance expense I do something just for fun and because I like it. Last year we had to replace the roof on a small addition that was put on the side of the house, So now I am going to replace the ceiling with wood wainscoting, the narrow boards, as a splurge for me. And I LOVE my home. It is old and will always need something done but it is great fun to live in. People are always wanting to see what we are doing next. And it isn't always expensive projects.

Being happy and satisfied with what you have is not easy. There is always a feeling of being able to do something to make your home better and enhance its curb appeal. What I believe that instead of getting rid of everything what you have and buying new ones is not always the best solution. The existing items can be arranged in a different way can do the magic sometimes. Have a look here: http://blog.californiafenceco.com/8-effortless-ways-to-enhance-your-homes-value/

woolylam - great wildflowers! Yes, it's funny, isn't it? One of my favorite spots in the yard is under a big old pine tree, near where the doggy does his 'duties.' To dress it up I have two old, rusty chairs with pillow covered seats. Sometimes Snickers and I sit in the shade of this tree and just relax... The grass is usually too long and there's nothing 'landscaped' about it. It's just - restful!

I couldn't have come upon this article at a better time.. I literally have a list of "hates" with the amount for remodel next to it. I'm like obsessing over it, pouring through mag's and websites, drooling with envy, angry at why I can't have this or that - so stupid. My house is paid for, the front looks out to a 12,000 ft snow capped mountain, my huge beautiful backyard has a river running through it, it's a quiet cul-de-sac with amazing neighbors. I've got a wood burning fireplace for snowy days.3 cats and 3 dogs filling the home with fur and drool, It's an amazing house! now, I have to go home to apologize....thank you for this!!